Paradise
by Cheeseburger of Doom
Summary: [Warlords 12, OshiKaji] Is this life paradise, compared to the last? If not, then what kind f life is it?


A/N: This is the second last of the Warlords series! (Ack, thirteen stories? That's unlucky. Ah well.) In this particular story, we will be revisiting Oshitari and Kajimoto, in the new life they have created for themselves. It's a short fic, but they won't be appearing in the last; everyone else (who is still alive) will be, though, so I felt guilty and decided they needed something, too...

Warnings: AU, much angst, character death(s), violence, etc.

Warlords #12:

Paradise

"Do you remember the one you were in love with?"

"How could I ever forget him?"

"Do you think of him, when we are together?"

"No. When we're together, I think of you."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

-----

It was quiet, out in the middle of nowhere. The villagers still gave them odd looks as they walked past, but neither of them really cared. They had intruded on the simple lives of these villagers, and they were not welcome. They were outsiders.

Still, no one kicked them out. They were hard workers, and did whatever they were told. The village prospered because of their young hands. No one suspected that they'd once belonged to a gang.

No one suspected that Oshitari had once been Death himself.

"That's all for today," the farmer told Oshitari. "You did good work today."

"Thank you."

They had found refuge on a farm. The farmer needed all the hands that he could get, since his sons had gone away to the city to make it big in the business world. The farmer and his wife disliked two youngsters and their odd ways just as much as the rest of the village, but they appreciated their strength and willingness to work. Oshitari and Kajimoto had their own little house on the famer's property, and were provided with everything that they needed to live.

Finding this village had been extremely lucky. A village where everyone knew each other; full mostly of old men and women who were so set in their ways that they refused to move into the city, where everyone else had gone. It was the perfect place to hide themselves. The perfect place to try and forget everything about their past.

-----

"Why do you love me?"

"Because we were drawn together by fate. I can't help but feel very strongly for you."

"You could hate me, instead."

"I expected you to hate me."

"I expected to hate you, too. I don't, though. I love you."

"I know you do. That's why we stay together, after all."

-----

After nearly a year, they still did not call each other by their first names. It sounded odd, really.

Besides, Oshitari could not bear to be called by his first name, anyway. It reminded him too much of the only one who had called him by that name often. The one he had really loved.

"You're thinking about him again," Kajimoto said.

"How could you tell?"

"You look sad, when you do. The rest of the time, you have a smirk on your face."

"The smirk is force of habit, I think," Oshitari said. "I don't even know that it's there."

"I know."

The silence stretched on. Oshitari got up and went to boil some water, so they could have tea.

"When you think of your brother, you lose the calm look," Oshitari said, suddenly. "You always look very calm, otherwise."

"Calm?"

"Yes. Like nothing can bother you."

"Ah, I see."

Their conversations were always like this, no matter what they were talking about.

"Are you happy here, on the outside?" Kajimoto asked.

"Ah, I've never been happy, and I don't think I ever will be," Oshitari replied. "I don't really know what happy is. What about you?"

"I'm content enough," Kajimoto said, "But I forgot how to be happy a long time ago."

Their eyes met. The understanding between them went so deep, sometimes, that it was almost scary. That was why they stayed together, even though they should have hated each other, really.

-----

"Are you sure that you love me?"

"What else could this emotion be? I know it isn't hate."

"Maybe it's loneliness."

"I know loneliness well enough. I'm lonely, but I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And you're lonely."

"Of course I am lonely. I miss the one that I loved, and still love, the most."

-----

"How long do you think we'll be able to survive in a peaceful world like this?" Kajimoto asked.

Oshitari played idly with the man's hair. It needed to be cut, he noticed. "I don't know." He often had the same thought himself. How long could he keep going like this? He'd become addicted to killing back in the gang. He had been Death itself. His hands itched for a fight, but his heart was sick of the bloodshed. How long could he last?

"I don't regret coming here."

"Neither do I."

"Let's stay here for as long as we can," Kajimoto said. "If we go crazy, then let's die together."

"Yes. Together."

"When I die...I want to see my brother again."

"I want to be with Gakuto."

"We'll be separated, then. Until that day...we stay together."

"Yes."

-----

"I don't love you the most, but I love you."

"I know."

"You don't love me the most, either."

"No."

"One day, we won't be together anymore."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you."

------

"Do you think that this life is paradise?" Kajimoto asked, as they worked.

"I think that all life on Earth is Hell," Oshitari replied. "There are hardships no matter where you are, and no one is ever truly happy with what they have."

"Do you think there is something better, after?"

"I hope that it is no worse."

"That's enough for today, boys. Thanks for your hard work." The farmer was actually beginning to like them. They already liked him. He was an honest and hard-working man, and he probably had no idea what death smelled like.

"Let's go home," Oshitari said. "It's time to rest." He held out his hand, and Kajimoto took it. They went back to their small house, where they lived a peaceful life. The place where they tried to forget everything, but only ended up lost in their memories.

At least they had each other, until the day they both died.


End file.
